COMMISSION ON EQUITABLE HOUSING AND DEVELOPMENT.

Tucson Code ch. 10A, art. X

in effect

Tucson Code § 10A-110 Creation.

Sec. 10A-110. Creation. Pursuant to Tucson Charter Chapter XXIV, § 1 and Tucson Code § 10A-139(a), the commission on equitable housing and development ("CEHD") is created as an on-going mayor and council advisory commission. (Ord. No. 11769, passed 7-7-20)

Tucson Code § 10A-111 Declaration of Purpose.

Sec. 10A-111. Declaration of Purpose. The City of Tucson envisions "A Home for Everyone" in the Tucson region. Tucson, like other cities across the U.S., must contend with an inadequate number of affordable housing units and high rates of poverty. With the input of community values, we will identify solutions that will promote affordability and prevent displacement; as well as, promote social responsibility from both developers and landlords within the City of Tucson in order to assist those in vulnerable housing situations. In addition, with the ongoing revitalization of the downtown area, there has been a variety of housing related impacts that concern neighborhoods and long-time residents. Challenges such as homelessness, the preservation of neighborhood cultural assets, the number of "housing cost burdened" households paying more than 30% of their income for housing and historical racial inequities are linked to housing affordability, poverty, and involuntary displacement. Therefore, on June 9, 2020, the City of Tucson mayor and council provided direction to establish a commission to develop strategies to address these pressing issues. (Ord. No. 11769, passed 7-7-20)

Tucson Code § 10A-112 Membership composition; nomination and appointment; qualifications; terms of office and reappointment; removal; concurrent service not permitted; applicability of Tucson Code Chapter 10A, Article XIII.

Sec. 10A-112. Membership composition; nomination and appointment; qualifications; terms of office and reappointment; removal; concurrent service not permitted; applicability of Tucson Code Chapter 10A, Article XIII. (a) Composition. The CEHD shall consist of fifteen (15) voting members and four (4) non-voting ex-officio members, who shall serve without compensation. All members must be qualified to represent one or more focus areas as more particularly described in subsection (c)(4) below: (1) Housing (2) Neighborhoods (3) Equity, diversity, and inclusivity (4) Economic vitality (5) Cultural vitality (6) Tucson Youth ages 18-24 (b) Nomination and appointment: (1) Seven (7) voting members shall be appointed through: (a) recommendation by at least two (2) members of mayor and council; and (b) appointment by the full mayor and council acting as a body. (2) Five (5) voting members shall be appointed by the director of housing and community development (HCD). Two (2) of these appointments shall include: (A) a nonprofit partner, knowledgeable regarding nonprofit development and fair housing policy; and (B) a developer, knowledgeable regarding the housing development process generally and with a proven track record of completed (i.e., built) affordable housing projects; EXCEPT THAT any members already serving as non-governmental, ex-officio members under either of the two categories described in (A) and (B) above as of July 12, 2022 shall automatically transition to be voting members and continue to serve, subject always to all provisions of Tucson Code Chapter 10A regarding terms of office, reappointment, replacement, and removal. (3) Three (3) voting members shall be representatives from the following organizations, appointed by those organizations: (A) Direct Advocacy and Resource Center (formerly the Direct Center for Independence); (B) Pima Council on Aging; (C) Pima County Community Land Trust. (4) Ex-officio (non-voting) members of the CEHD: The following shall be invited to attend CEHD meetings, and assist the CEHD, as ex-officio, non-voting members who shall not count toward creating or meeting any quorum requirement: (A) Pima County Housing Center; (B) City of South Tucson; (C) City of Tucson planning and development services department; (D) City of Tucson housing and community development department. (c) Qualifications: (1) Members should, to the extent possible, represent the geographic, demographic, and economic diversity of the community. (2) Desired qualifications include relevant background, knowledge, and/or expertise in one or more of the following focus areas that relate to the commission's functions and purposes. (3) All members shall reside or have a place of business within the City of Tucson. (4) Every focus area shall be represented by one or more members of the CEHD, based on the information provided in the application: (A) Housing: affordable housing developers and/or property managers; nonprofit housing providers that provide services like: home repair, tenant based rental assistance, homeownership counseling; organizations that support and advocate for tenants like: fair housing, legal aid, tenant organizations, advocacy agencies; former employees of housing and community development agencies or similar organizations. (B) Neighborhoods: individuals with expertise in planning, creative place-making, historic preservation, mixed-use development, infill development, strategies to combat gentrification/displacement; member of a neighborhood association or other neighborhood-based organization. (C) Equity, diversity, and inclusivity: low-income individuals, members of communities of color, LGBTQ communities, refugees, immigrants, non-English speakers, formerly incarcerated people, residents without a home, seniors, veterans, and persons with disabilities. (D) Economic vitality: local business owners, professionals in the fields of finance, real estate, development, homebuilding, business districts, economic development, or workforce development. (E) Cultural vitality is the practice of creating, disseminating, validating, and supporting arts and culture as a dimension of everyday community life. (d) Terms of office and reappointment. Members appointed by the mayor and council shall serve four (4) year terms. Members appointed by the housing and community development director shall serve four (4) year terms from the time of appointment, in accordance with Tucson City Code, Chapter 10A. Members may serve no more than two (2) consecutive four (4) year terms (eight (8) years in total). (e) Replacement and removal. Except for those replacement appointments of representatives made by the organizations listed in subsection (b)(3) above, all replacement appointments shall be made by the appointing authority using an application process with consideration of the focus areas. (f) Concurrent service. Consistent with Tucson Code § 10A-134(c), members of the CEHD can serve concurrently on up to two (2) city boards, committees, or commissions. (g) Applicability of Tucson Code Chapter 10A, Article XIII. Except as otherwise specifically provided in this article, all provisions of Tucson Code Chapter 10A, Article XIII apply to the CEHD. (Ord. No. 11769, passed 7-7-20; Ord. No. 11851, § 1, passed 7-7-21; Ord. No. 11946, § 1, passed 7-12-22)

Tucson Code § 10A-113 Functions, purposes, powers, and duties.

Sec. 10A-113. Functions, purposes, powers, and duties. (a) The mission of the CEHD shall be to provide advice to the mayor and council regarding how the city can best: (1) Focus on increasing city investment in housing. (A) potential bonding (B) land/ housing acquisition (C) land banking (D) CDBG, HOME, Section 8, public housing (E) Cultural vitality (2) Preserve affordability while increasing housing production/ stock (A) Development (B) Policy (C) CDBG focus (D) Land trust (E) County owned tax lien properties (3) Protect our barrios and communities from rapid change and displacement as well as structural disinvestment and substandard housing through the promotion of equitable housing models. (A) Community education about homebuyer programs/ rental assistance/ anti-eviction programs (B) Using city owned land to retain affordability (C) City funded estate acquisitions (D) Property tax home buying (E) Revisiting existing policy and procedure for implicit or explicit bias (F) Housing coop (G) Potential public oversight committee (4) Facilitate equitable conversations and solutions that will incorporate voices in a collaborative environment. These voices include the following and facilitated by the commission: (A) Community members (B) Nonprofits (C) Former/currently homeless (D) Developers (E) Potential public oversight committee (F) Higher education (5) Provide measurable and well-defined goals to address housing shortfalls for those who have, currently and will experience housing insecurity. The goals will be informed by: (A) City housing study (B) Homeless count (C) Census data (D) HCD yearly reporting-eviction data (E) Manufactured housing study with Habitat for Humanity (F) Landlord/ Pima County Court eviction info (G) Poverty and urban stress report (H) Opportunity indexing (I) Planning and development services equity audit (J) School district information about students (moving/relocating) (b) In performing its mission as described in subsection (a) above, the CEHD shall focus on carrying out the following functions: (1) Review data (quantitative and qualitative), needs assessments, and additional information to explore strategies and develop recommendations for mayor and council consideration for the five (5) focus areas: (A) Housing (B) Neighborhoods (C) Equity, diversity, and inclusivity (D) Economic vitality (E) Cultural vitality (2) Identify innovative best practices or new ideas for developing low-cost and more affordable housing, preventing and mitigating involuntary displacement. (3) Identify new capital resources and make them available for affordable housing and homelessness programs. (4) Identify and work toward eliminating institutional and regulatory barriers to affordable housing and job security. (5) Provide recommendations on the priorities for the use of HUD entitlement programs included in the HUD five (5) year consolidated plan and HUD annual action plan as well as the Tucson public housing authority administrative plan. (6) Review the goals and policies of the Tucson Housing Trust Fund and make recommendations to Mayor and Council; provide advice relating to the goals and policies of the Tucson Housing Trust Fund to the staff managing the Tucson Housing Trust Fund; and promote resource development and funding alternatives for the Tucson Housing Trust Fund. (Ord. No. 11769, passed 7-7-20; Ord. No. 12143, § 1, passed 2-4-25)

Tucson Code § 10A-114 Staff support.

Sec. 10A-114. Staff support. The City of Tucson housing and community development department shall provide staff support to the CEHD. (Ord. No. 11769, passed 7-7-20)

Tucson Code § 10A-115 Commission organization and rules.

Sec. 10A-115. Commission organization and rules. (a) Chairperson. The chairperson of the CEHD will be voted by the commission, and the chairperson will also be in charge of facilitating conversation and meetings. The structure of the housing and community development commission: (1) follows best practices in collaborative decision making and centering the conversation around equity (2) includes representation from key stakeholder groups mentioned above (3) brings accountability to the City of Tucson (4) empowers community decision making (b) Bylaws. It is recommended that within one year from the first meeting, that the CEHD adopt bylaws for its operations. These shall be consistent with the Tucson Charter, Tucson Code, and other legal authority. Consistent with Tucson Code § 10A-136, any bylaws adopted by the CEHD shall be filed with the city clerk. Once adopted, the bylaws may be reviewed periodically to determine whether revisions may be warranted. (c) Meetings. The CEHD shall choose its own meeting dates, times, and places. Legal action reports and minutes of committee meetings shall be filed with the city clerk. (d) Quorum. A quorum shall consist of five (5) voting members. (e) Quarterly reports. The CEHD shall produce, in partnership with staff, minutes of all meetings for public distribution. Updates and recommendations will be presented to the mayor and council quarterly or four (4) times a year. (Ord. No. 11769, passed 7-7-20)

Tucson Code § 10A-116 Limitation of powers.

Sec. 10A-116. Limitation of powers. Neither the CEHD nor any of its members may incur governmental expenses, or obligate the city in any way, without prior authorization of the mayor and council. (Ord. No. 11769, passed 7-7-20)

Tucson Code § 10A-117 Sunset clause.

Sec. 10A-117. Sunset clause. The CEHD shall cease to exist on July 12, 2026. The term of the CEHD may be extended by an ordinance of the mayor and council. If extended, the mayor and council should review and revise, as appropriate, the composition, nomination and appointment, and the functions, purposes, powers, and duties of the CEHD to ensure that the body continues to operate effectively. (Ord. No. 11769, passed 7-7-20; Ord. No. 11946, § 1, passed 7-12-22)

Tucson Code § 10A-118 through 10A-119 Reserved.

Secs. 10A-118, 10A-119. Reserved. __________ *Editor’s note – Ord. No. 5027, § 1, adopted Sept. 4, 1979, amended the Code by adding art. VII, § 10A-70. Inasmuch as Ord. No. 4960, § 1, adopted Apr. 9, 1979, had previously added art. VII, and Ord. No. 5123, § 2, adopted Mar. 24, 1980, subsequently added art. VIII, the provisions of Ord. No. 5027, at the direction of the city, have been designated as art. IX, 10A-100. **Editor’s note – Ord. No. 11496, § 3, adopted Oct. 24, 2017, repealed Art. X, §§ 10A-110 – 10A-113, which pertained to the Tucson-Pima County Metropolitan Energy Commission and derived from Ord. No. 5218, § 1, adopted Sept. 8, 1980. Ord. No. 11769, passed 7-7-20, created a new Art. X, §§ 10A110 – 10A-117, Commission on Equitable Housing and Development.

Source: City of Tucson, Tucson Code (Charter and General Ordinances) and Unified Development Code (American Legal Publishing, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/tucson/latest/tucson_az/0-0-0-8473Fetched: 10/28/2026